A List of Books Recommended by Others or Books With Great Reviews
As I have mentioned in the previous categories, I strongly suggest you visit My Daughter in 2nd Grade list under 7 and up because she read many books recommended for age 8 and up then and it would be a shame to miss them. She often rereads the books from that list now in 3rd grade. Also check the Other Books 2nd Grade list because it contains tips on books appropriate for this age category but are easier to read and good for good second-grade readers. Another good source is the list My Son in 2nd Grade.
Definitely go to My Daughter in 3rd Grade list (or My Son in 3rd Grade) because whenever she reads a book from this list I take it off this list and move it there. You will find other books there that are a good read for both boys and girls. I do it for a simple reason. Sometimes I get a book for my daughter to read that turns out to be too hard for her or of no interest because she is not mature enough or the vocabulary is too difficult. Books that you will find in My Daughter in 3rd Grade or My Son in 3rd Grade list are safer bets because I can tell my friends–yes, it is good for her age and reading level, she read it and enjoyed it. I cannot be sure about the other books until she actually reads them.
Before you go on, I want to mention that there are many books great for this age by Andrew Clements. If you visited the category My Daughter in 2nd Grade, you would see that she enjoyed them during 2nd grade but she likes to reread them and she is planning to read the ones she hasn’t read yet. They are about kids and are very appropriate for this age and reading level. My daughter just brought No Talking for the third time from her school library.
Before you decide on a book based on the amount of reviews on Amazon, you should know that a lot of times, even excellent books don’t receive a huge number of reviews. If you want to check how people liked a book, try www.goodreads.com.
The titles toward the end of this lists are books that are suitable for the end of 3rd grade because I’ve seen them recommended either for 8- or 9-year-olds.
I have most of the titles on my lists here but not grouped together based on the interest in a book or movie. The following lists might make it easier for you to choose.
“Frozen” Chapter Books: 10 Titles for Kids Who Love the Disney Movie
Reading Post Greg and Rodrick: What to Read After Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Fantasy Chapter Books for Harry Potter Fans
The Borrowers For a list of books in this series click here.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle For a list of the other titles click here. My son read the series in 2nd grade.
Fablehaven For a list of books in this series click here. My son listened to the audio books in 2nd grade and loved them.
My Side of the Mountain My son listened to the audio book.
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp Somebody recommended listening to it (supposedly a well made audiobook). We tried the audiobook on our recent car trip and found it a bit boring, except for Dad. 🙂 So while it is probably a good book, it might not be for everybody.
Sweet Farts This book is not about farts, the author just uses the word to pull the story together, it is about family and friends. It is funny. For a list of books in this series click here. (maybe the end of 2nd grade)
One Dog and His Boy (a great read-aloud)
The Adventures of Beanboy (funny) Click here for more ratings and reviews (and another book) in this series.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom My son read this book and its sequel at the end of 2nd grade.
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
Dragon Rider My son loved the audiobook. He listened to it in 1st grade.
The Stonekeeper (graphic novel) For a list of titles in the Amulet series click here. My son read the whole series in 2nd grade.
The Secret Zoo For a list of books in this series click here. My son read it during the summer before he entered 3rd grade.
The Dragon in the Sock Drawer For a list of books in the Dragon Keepers series click here. My son read it during the summer before he entered 3rd grade.
Blubber She listened to the audio version in 2nd grade.
The Familiars For a list of books in this series click here. I read two books to my kids and they loved it. My son finished reading the series on his own at the end of 2nd grade. If you liked The Familiars, try The Quest Begins (Seekers series) A lot of people say it is not as good as The Warriors but many liked it.
Survivors #1: The Empty City For a list of books in this series click here.
Shiloh and the second book Shiloh Season and the third book Saving Shiloh
The Emerald Atlas and The Fire Chronicle For a list of books in the Books of Beginning series click here.
Misty of Chincoteague A must-read for horse lovers. we listened to it on our way to Chincoteague Island when my son was 8 and my daughter 10.
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? For a list of books in the Hank Zipzer series click here.
There’s A Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom My daughter read it at the beginning of 4th grade.
Pearl’s Promise Although this book does not have as many reviews as some others, I put it on my list to try because someone recommended this book and I also found reviews from teachers who read it to 2nd and 3rd graders and they loved it. To read more about it click here.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans This is a great read-aloud for kids 8 and up.
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat For a list of books in this series click here.
Utterly Me, Clarice Bean For a list of books in this series click here.
The Family Under the Bridge read more reviews here.
Lawn Boy For more ratings and reviews click here.
The Homework Machine Read more reviews here. My daughter read 50 pages and said she didn’t like it.
Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger Read more reviews here. My son loved it–read it at the end of 2nd grade.
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity For a list of books in the Brixton Brothers series click here.
The Hero Revealed For a list of books in The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series click here.
Bliss For a list of books in The Bliss Bakery trilogy click here.
The Iron Trial For a list of books in the Magisterium series click here. (It is compared to Harry Potter and probably not as good but plenty of people love it so you can give this series a try.)
Deltora Quest #1: The Forests of Silence (for readers not quite ready for Harry Potter) For a list of books in this series click here. My son read the series at the end of 2nd grade.
Twelve Kinds of Ice (recommended as read-aloud for winter)
Bed-Knob and Broomstick For a list of books in this series click here.
Mousenet and its sequel Mousemobile
The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook
Zorgamazoo (rhyming, great read-aloud)
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff (rhyming, great read-aloud)
Rufus M. (a great read-aloud) I read this book to my kids when they were 7 and 9 but I must admit it is not a page turner and a bit old-fashioned so it may not be for everybody.
Half Upon a Time For the other books in this trilogy click here. My daughter read almost half of the book but did not finish it. She said there was not much happening and started reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, which she couldn’t put down.
Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups For a list of books in this series click here.
Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine If your daughter likes fairytales, this series is apparently very popular with a lot of girls (e.g. The Fairy’s Mistake, The Princess Test and others). My daughter is not a fan of fairytales so she will probably never pick these up. Many Moms read these stories to their five-year-olds so they are good read-alouds for princess lovers.
Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth Read more reviews here.
Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter I have never read the book but as a child I loved the movie.
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher The second book of Magic Shop series (Monster’s Ring is the first). For a list of books in this series click here. We listened to the audio book when kids were 8 and almost 7 and liked it a lot.
Harriet the Spy I haven’t made up my mind about this series because I have read mixed reviews about it—people either hate her or love her). For a list of books click here and here.
Tom’s Midnight Garden To read more reviews click here.
Sarah, Plain and Tall and its sequels Skylark and Caleb’s Story
Owls in the Family I read this book to my kids when they were 8 and 10.
A friend of mine has told me about this series—abridged and retold classics. I was not sure if I’d like the idea of my kids reading an abridged version (sometimes retold) and not the original but it is true that kids can read a lot of the classics only when they are older because the originals are either long or difficult in vocabulary. I think I would run into one problem with my kids—they would not want to read the original later if they already knew the story. Since I studied literature, I myself would not be prone to offering these to my kids as long as there are other books they can enjoy.
However, if you view the abridged versions as a stepping stone to the originals or you’d like to introduce the classics to your kids at a younger age, give them a try. There are many adventures stories boys would love (Treasure Island, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Three Musketeers, etc.) and many stories girls would enjoy (Heidi, A Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden etc.)
I have looked for the reading levels of these books but it varies (2nd grade and up, some kids read them in 1st grade). However, although the reading levels might be higher on some websites, it looks like the books are not hard reads (from what people say). So just give them a try and see. I have found some information about the reading levels of this series here. At least you can choose from the least difficult ones.
For a list of books in the Classic Starts Series click here.
Ballet Shoes For a list of books in the Shoes series click here.
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery For a list of books in this series click here.
Saddle Club (for girls who love horses) The stories in this series revolve around three girls at a horse riding school. For a list of books in this series click here.
The Year of the Book My daughter did not like it when I brought it from the library at the beginning of 3rd grade but it has good reviews so we might try it later in the year.
Coraline Some people recommend the audio book.
My Teacher Is an Alien Click here for more reviews and here for a list of the 4 books in this series. My son read the series in 2nd grade.
The Gammage Cup For other books in the Minnipins series click here.
The Castle in the Attic My son listened to the audio book when he was in 1st grade.
Big Nate Flips Out (series) For more Big Nate graphic novels click here.
A Snicker of Magic Read more reviews here.
The Wheel on the School Read more reviews here.
Floors For a list of books in this series click here. My kids listened to the audio book when they were 8 and 10.
A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home People read it to younger kids, a lot of pictures, it would make a great read aloud for kids of different ages.
Nim’s Island My son read it in 2nd grade.
The Island of Adventure For a list of books in this series click here.
House of Robots (great for reluctant readers)
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies Lots of fun silliness that will appeal to fans of writers like Dav Pilky and Jon Scieszka. I can imagine that my son would love this book.
Gooseberry Park This book might not be for everyone, it is for animal lovers. Parents read it also to younger kids.
Into the Land of the Unicorns This is not a girly story, it is great for both boys and girls. For a list of books in the Unicorn Chronicle series click here.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea For a list of books in this series click here.
All-of-a-Kind Family For a list of books in this series click here.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka (funny, somebody recommended the audiobook)
Boys Are Dogs For a list of books in the Annabelle Unleashed series click here. My daughter read it at the beginning of 4th grade.
Athlete vs. Mathlete (not among the top books but still enjoyable read)
Elvis and the Underdogs (also probably not among the top books but still enjoyable) For a list of books in this series click here.
Treasure Hunters For a list of books in this series click here. My son read the whole series in 2nd grade.
Skinnybones (funny)
I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916 For a list of books in this series click here. My daughter read a few at the beginning of 4th grade.
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor (funny) For a list of books in this series click here.
The Day My Butt Went Psycho My son read it in 2nd grade.
Twice Upon a Time #1: Rapunzel, The One With All the Hair For a list of books in the Twice Upon a Time series click here.
Whatever After #1: Fairest of All For a list of books in this series click here. My daughter discovered this series at the beginning of 4th grade and liked it a lot.
Ms. Rapscott’s Girls My daughter is a fan of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Mary Poppins, and Nanny McPhee, so I think she’d love this book.
Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome This book has tons of great reviews but I don’t see my kids picking it up. My daughter read a few pages here and there but did not really come back to it (at the beginning of 4th grade).
The Misadventures of Max Crumbly 1: Locker Hero For a list of books in this series click here.
The Frog Princess For a list of books in this series click here.
Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies
Property of the Rebel Librarian
The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
Dactyl Hill Squad For a list of books in this series click here.
The Kidnap Plot For a list of books in this series click here.
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
Sky Jumpers For a list of books in this series click here.
Upside-Down Magic For a list of books in this series click here.
Loot For a list of books in this series click here.
The London Eye Mystery For a list of books in this series click here.
Trapped in a Video Game For a list of books in this series click here.
Sophia’s War: A Tale of the Revolution
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen For a list of books in this series click here.
The Secret of Nightingale Wood
The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine
The Magic Misfits For a list of books in this series click here.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, & a Very Strange Adventure
The Accidental Hero For a list of books in this series click here.
The Hound of Rowan For a list of books in this series click here.
Smells Like Dog For a list of books in this series click here.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball For a list of books in this series click here.
Endling For a list of books in this series click here.
The Wild Robot Escapes For a list of books in this series click here.
8 or 9?
A Tale Dark and Grimm For a list of books in this series click here.
Woof: A Bowser and Birdie Novel
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon We listened to the audio version when our kids were 7 and 9. I think it is probably more appropriate for a 9-year old for independent reading.
Babe & Me For a list of books in the Baseball Card Adventures click here.
Finally The recommended age for this and the following book is 9 and up but my daughter really enjoyed 11 Birthdays when she was only 8 so I’ll leave it up to you). She read this one two months before she turned 9. They are all part of Willow Falls series.
13 Gifts I’ve seen a comment that although you don’t have to read the previous book to enjoy this one, you will get more out of the jokes if you read Finally first. Since my daughter loved the previous books she devoured this one as well. She is planning on reading The Last Present.
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (for Harry Potter lovers) For a list of books in this series click here. People recommend books by Diana Wynne Jones. Howl’s Moving Castle is on my list for 9 and up because I could not tell the level of difficulty from what I have read. I guess we’ll just have to try and see. However, there are so many books appropriate for this age group that my kids can wait a year or two longer to read these (since adults read them as well)
Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles series) People rave about this series, even young kids listen to it (5 or 6). It can get a bit violent, I am not sure if it isn’t better for 9-year-olds for independent reading. For a list of books click here.
Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja For a list of books in this series click here.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH I read it to my kids over the summer (7 and 9). We loved it.
The Secret of the Old Clock and other Nancy Drew mysteries
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining A series for girls, a light read, a lot of people recommend closer to age 9. For a list of books click here.
Goblin Secrets mixed reviews, some people love it, some say it’s mediocre but it is a National Book Award winner so I think it deserves to be on this list for you to try.
The Invasion For a list of books in the sci-fi series Animorphs click here.
The Forests of Silence For a list of books in the Deltora Quest series click here.
Nory Ryan’s Song (sequel Maggie’s Door)
Circles in the Stream For a list of books in the Avalon Web of Magic series click here.
Redwall For a complete list of 22 books in this praised series click here. My son listened to to audio books in 2nd grade and loved it.
Anne of Green Gables For a complete list of all 8 books click here.
Poppy and it’s prequel Ragweed. Sequels Poppy and Ereth For a list of books in the Dimwood Forest series click here. My son listened to the first three books at the age of 6 and loved it.
Young Fredle (mixed reviews, not for kids who crave action but I put it on my list because I think my son might enjoy it)
Bartlett and the Ice Voyage For more reviews click here. I was not sure about this book but it could be a very good read so it is on the list.
Ella Enchanted I could not ignore the number of great reviews of this book. My daughter will probably not read it as she is not fond of fairy tales but many girls are. If your daughter likes it, you may want to check out The Two Princesses of Bamarre which is probably suitable more for a 9-year old but I am not sure. My daughter listened to the audio version over the summer (before entering 4th grade)
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness For a list of books in this series click here.
Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever.
Starry River of the Sky (a great read-aloud)
The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler
Capture the Flag For a list of books in this series click here. My daughter enjoyed this book when she read it at the beginning of 4th grade.
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher We listened to the audio book when our kids were 7 and 9.
Olivia Kidney For a list of books in this series click here.
Leon and the Spitting Image (funny) My daughter read this at the end of 3rd grade and liked it.
Storybound (also check out its sequel)
The Flame of Olympus For a list of books in the Pegasus series click here.
Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises (compared to Percy Jackson and some people thought it was not as good but still a lot of good reviews) For a list of books in this series click here.
All the Answers My daughter read it at the beginning of 4th grade.
Infinity Ring Book 1: A Mutiny in Time For a list of books in this series click here.
The Island of Dr. Libris My daughter read it at the end of 3rd grade and loved it.
Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
The Capture For a list of books in the Guardians of Ga’hoole series click here.
Silverwing For a list of books in The Silverwing Trilogy click here.
It’s Raining Cupcakes For a list of books in the Cupcakes series click here.
If you are still looking for more books, check out some reading lists for grades 3 & 4:
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